The sounds that represent are 44 English phonemes, which are divided into two categories: consonants and vowels. Since sounds cannot be written down, graphemes (letters or combinations of letters) are used to convey sounds in writing.
English alphabet
AT English language 26 letters The standard one starts with the letter a and ends with the letter z.
When classifying alphabetic characters allocate:
- 5 pure vowels: a, e, i, o, u;
- 19 pure consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, x, z;
- 2 semivowels: y, w.
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Features of English consonants
A consonant combination is a set of two or three consonant letters that retain their original sound when pronounced. Such sets occur either at the beginning or at the end of a word. For example, the word brave, in which both "b" and "r" are pronounced, is the initial combination. In the word bank "-nk" is the final combination.
Classification:
- Initial combinations are classified into sets with "l", "r", and "s". In "l" the combination ends with "l". An example would be the letters "bl" in the word blind. Similarly, the final sound in "r" in combination with "r" when "br" and "cr", for example, in the words bridge, crane. On the contrary, in "s" it starts with s, "st" and "sn" - stap, snail.
- The final combinations are grouped into sets with "s", "l" and "n": -st, -sk, -ld, -nd, -nk. Examples, first, desk, gold, sand, sink.
Digraphs
Consonant digraphs refer to a set of consonants that form one sound. Some digraphs are both at the beginning and at the end of the word - "sh", "ch" and "th". There are also strict initial and final digraphs - "kn-" and "-ck".
Examples of digraphs:
| Ch- | -ch |
| Kn- | — ck |
| Ph- | -sh |
| Sh- | -ss |
| Th- | -th |
| wh- | -tch |
| Wr- |
Features of digraphs:
Table of pronunciation of English consonants
| b | b | bag, band, cab | bag, band, cab |
| d | d | dad, did, lady, odd [ɒd] | dead, did, lady, od |
| f | f, ph, sometimes gh | fable , fact , if [ɪf], off [ɒf], photo , glyph | fable, fact, if, of, foutow, glyph |
| g | give , flag | givew, flag | |
| h | hold, ham | hold, ham | |
| j | usually represented by y, but sometimes by other vowels | yellow, yes, young, neuron, cube | Yelow, ies, yang, n (b) yueron, k (b) yu: b - the sound j is similar to the vowel sound i:. |
| k | k, c, q, que, ck, sometimes ch | cat, kill, queen, skin, thick [θɪk], chaos | kat, kil, qui:n, sik, keyos |
| l | l | lane, clip, bell, milk, sould | lane, clip, bel, milk, sould - has two sound options: pure /l/ before a vowel, “darkened” /ɫ/ before a consonant or at the end of a word |
| m | m | man, them [ðem], moon | man, zem, mu:n |
| n | n | nest, sun | nest, san |
| ŋ | ng | ring, sing, finger [ŋ] is sometimes followed by the sound [g]. [ŋ] if "ng" is at the end of a word or a related word (sing, singer, thing), to "-ing", which translates verbs into participles or gerunds. [ŋg], if "ng" is not at the end of a word or in related words, also in comparative degrees (longer, longest). |
/ring/, /sing/, /finge/ |
| p | p | pen, spin, tip, happy | pen, spin, type, happy |
| r | r | rat, reply, rainbow, | rat, ripple, rainbow - movement of the tongue close to the alveolar ridge, but without touching it |
| s | s, sometimes c | see, city, pass, lesson | si:, pa: s, forest |
| ʃ | sh, si, ti, sometimes s | she [ʃi:], crash , sheep [ʃi:p], sure [ʃʊə], session , emotion [ɪməʊʃn], leash | shi:, crash, shi:p, shue, session, imashn, li:sh |
| t | t | taste, sting | test, sting |
| tʃ | ch, sometimes t | chair [ʧɛə], nature teach beach | t che e, ney t che, ti: t h, bi: t h |
| θ | th | thing [θɪŋ], teeth, Athens [æθɪnz[ | t sing, ti: t s, et sinz - voiceless fricative |
| ð | th | this [ðɪs], mother | d sis, ma d ze - voiced fricative |
| v | v, sometimes f | voice, five, of [ɔv] | voice, five, ov |
| w | w, sometimes u | wet, window, queen | y in em, y in indeu, ku in i: n - [w] is similar to |
| z | z | zoo, lazy | zu: lazy |
| ʒ | g, si, z, sometimes s | genre [ʒɑːŋr], pleasure, beige, seizure, vision | genre e, plezhe, beizh, b:zhe, vision |
| dʒ | j, sometimes g, dg, d | gin [ʤɪn], joy [ʤɔɪ], edge | gin, joy, edge |
English vowels
Each English vowel is pronounced in three ways:
- like a long sound;
- like a short sound;
- as a neutral vowel (schwa).
In the English alphabet, there are 5 vowels, but sometimes y becomes a vowel and is pronounced like i, and w replaces u, for example, in the digraph ow.
Rules for reading vowels
Short vowels, which are characterized by a "short" sound, appear when there is one vowel in a word, either at the beginning of a word or between two consonants. For example, if, elk, hop, fan. A typical short vowel pattern is consonant+vowel+consonant (CHS).
Words are taught as families that represent groups of words with a common pattern, such as in the pattern "-ag" - bag, wag, tag or "-at" - cat, bat, hat.
vowels:
| Sound | Letter | Examples |
| [æ] | a | rag, sag, ram, jam, gap, sap mat |
| [ɛ] | e | hen, pen, wet, bet, let |
| [ɪ] | i | pig, wig, dig, pin, win, tin, tin, bit |
| [ɒ] | o | hop, pop, top, hot, pot, lot |
| [ʌ] | u | bug, lug, tug, hut, but, cut |
vowels:
| Sound | Writing | Examples |
| A | ai, ay, a+consonant+e | name, mail, gray, ace |
| E | e, ee, ea, y, ie ,ei, i+consonant+e | he, deep, beast, dandy, thief, receive, elite |
| I | i, i+gn, igh, y, i+ld, i+nd | mine, sign, high, sky, wild, kind |
| O | o+consonant +e, oa, ow, o+ll, ld | tone, road, note, know, roll, bold |
| U | ew, ue, u+consonant+e | few, due, tune |
The vowel sound in unstressed syllables is expressed by the abbreviated neutral sound ("schwa"), the phonemic symbol /ə/, especially if syllabic consonants are not used.
For example:
- a in about, around, approve, above [ə bʌv];
- e in accident, mother, taken, camera ;
- i c, family, lentil, officer pencil ;
- o in memory, common, freedom, purpose, London;
- u in supply, industry, suggest, difficult, succeed, minimum ;
- and even y in sibyl;
- schwa appears in function words: to, from, are.
Features of vowel sounds in English
Vowels are divided into monophthongs, diphthongs or triphthongs. A monophthong is when there is one vowel in a syllable, a diphthong is when there are two vowels in a syllable.
Let's take a closer look:
- Monophthongs are pure and stable vowels., whose acoustic characteristics (timbre) do not change during the time they are pronounced.
- - a sound formed by a combination of two adjacent vowels in one syllable. Technically, the tongue (or other parts of the speech apparatus) moves when a vowel is pronounced - the first position is stronger than the second. In the transcription of a diphthong, the first character is starting point the body of the tongue, the second symbol is the direction of movement. For example, you should know that in /aj/ the body of the tongue is in the lower center position represented by /a/ and immediately starts moving up and forward to the position for /i/.
- Diphthongs are often formed when separate vowels work together in rapid conversation.. Usually (in the speaker's speech) the body of the tongue does not have time to get to the position /i/. Therefore, the diphthong often ends closer to /ɪ/ or even to /e/. In the diphthong /aw/, the body of the tongue moves from the lower center position /a/, then moves up and back to the position /u/. Although single diphthongs are also distinguished, which are heard as separate vowel sounds (phonemes).
- English also has triphthongs.(combinations of three adjacent vowels), including three sound types, for example, fire /fʌɪə/, flower /flaʊər/. But in any case, all diphthongs and triphthongs are formed from monophthongs.
Table of pronunciation of simple English vowels
All vowels are formed from only 12 monophthongs. Each, regardless of spelling, is pronounced using some combination of these sounds.
The table shows examples of simple English vowels with Russian pronunciation:
| [ɪ] | pit, kiss, busy | pete, kitty, beezy |
| [e] | egg, let, red | eg, years, red |
| [æ] | apple, travel, mad | apple, travel, mead |
| [ɒ] | not, rock, copy | music, rock, copy |
| [ʌ] | cup, son, money | cap, san, mani |
| [ʊ] | look, foot, could | bow, foot, cool |
| [ə] | away, away | hey, hey |
| be, meet, read | bi:, mi:t, ri:d | |
| [ɑ:] | arm, car, father | a:m, ka:, fa:dze |
| [ɔ:] | door, saw, pause | to:, from:, to: from |
| [ɜ:] | turn, girl, learn | cho:n, gyo:l, le:n |
| blue, food, too | blu:, foo:d, tu: |
Diphthong pronunciation table
| day, pain, rein | dei, pein, rein | |
| cow, know | kou, know | |
| wise, island | visa, island | |
| now, trout | naw, trout | |
| [ɔɪ] | noise, coins | noiz, coin |
| [ɪə] | near, hear | nee, hie |
| [ɛə] | where, air | uh uh uh |
| [ʊə] | pure, tourist | p (b) yue, tu e rist |
Learn the transcription of English words
Let's look at some features English transcription:
There are a large number of videos online on the Internet to listen to, and you can also practice using exercises.
Consists of 26 letters, of which 6 are vowels and 20 are consonants.
How to quickly memorize the alphabet?
First of all, you need to learn. There are few of them, so they are easier to remember.
In English transcription, the colon sign denotes the length of the sound, i.e. you have to pronounce it long.
Particular attention should be paid to the letter Yy. This letter is often mistaken for a consonant. In fact, it is very easy to remember if you make an association with the letter Ii. In words, these two letters are read the same way.
it's easier to remember if you break them down into logical groups:
- Consonants similar in appearance to Russian and pronounced the same with them:
| CC | si | |
| Kk | kay | |
| mm | Em | |
| Tt | ti |
- Consonants that look like Russian, but are pronounced or spelled differently:
- Consonants that are not in Russian:
| FF | ef | |
| gg | ji | |
| hh | h | |
| jj | jay | |
| cue | ||
| Rr | [ɑː] | a |
| vv | in and | |
| www | [‘dʌblju:] | double |
| Zz | zed |
It is better to learn the English alphabet in blocks, writing and naming each letter in several lines. This is how three types of memory work at once: auditory, visual and motor.
After you have done this, then perform a series of exercises to consolidate the results.
Exercises:
- Write the letters on the piece of paper from memory, saying each letter aloud. If you do not remember the name or find it difficult which letter is next, then you can look at the hint. When you have written a “difficult” letter, underline or circle it and continue on. After writing the entire English alphabet, write out separately all the underlined letters in one row. Repeat them. Write a few more rows of these letters randomly, calling them out loud. When you are sure that you have remembered, start the exercise again.
- Cut 26 small squares, write letters on them. Place face down on the table. Take each square in turn, calling the letter out loud. Check yourself against the table. Those letters that are called incorrectly or forgotten, put aside. After working with all the squares, take all the set aside letters and do the same exercise with them only. Repeat several times, each time postponing only those that are not remembered.
Remember that any work on memorizing something should be structured as follows:
- Learn and set aside.
- Repeat after 15 minutes
- Repeat in an hour
- Repeat next day
- Repeat in a week.
In this case, the memorized material will be deposited in memory forever!
English alphabet games
If it is possible to attract 2-3 people, then you can diversify the study of the alphabet with games:
- "Spell the word"
Any English text. Players take turns saying the letters in order, starting with the first word in the text. The one who called incorrectly is out of the game. The last one left in the game wins.
- "What is missing?"
The facilitator chooses from 26 cards with letters 5-10, depending on the age of the group. Players memorize letters. After everyone has turned away, the leader removes one or two letters. Players must guess which letters are missing.
- "Who quickly?"
Each player is dealt cards in the same number, you need to arrange them in alphabetical order as quickly as possible.
- "Find a couple"
The participants in the game are given cards with capital letters. With reverse side Each card has a lowercase letter. 3 minutes are given. During this time, each player must remember and write down a lowercase letter. The one with the most letters wins.
- "Continue"
One of the players begins to speak the alphabet from the beginning, the leader stops at any letter. Players must pick up where they left off as quickly as possible.
- "Remember Five"
The facilitator gives each player a letter face down. On command, the players turn over the card. You need to write the next 5 letters of the alphabet as quickly as possible. The one who completed the task raises his hand.
Songs
For quick memorization alphabet can be used. The melody for them can be found on the Internet.
Oh well you see
Now I know the ABC!
There is another version of this song, the last two lines of which sound like this:
Now I know the ABC
Next time won't you sing with me!
Currently, English textbooks give two pronunciations of the letter Rr: [ɑː] and [ɑːr] In the second version, the second sound is an overtone, that is, it is not pronounced in its pure form, but muffled. Both options are correct.
In English transcription, you can find several ways to write the same sound. This is due to the fact that the rules for writing certain sounds are gradually changing, more often towards simplification, for example:
Both the one and the other sound is pronounced [e] with an overtone [ё].
I learned the alphabet, what to learn next?
After learning the English alphabet, it is advisable to learn the sounds that each letter can convey.
In English, many letters have several sounds, depending on the type of syllable and combination with other letters:
| aa | [æ] | her, a (long), e (with an overtone I) |
| bb | [b] | b |
| CC | [s][k] | from, to |
| Dd | [d] | d |
| ee | [e] | uh, and (long) |
| FF | f | |
| gg | [g][s] | g, s |
| hh | [h] | X |
| II | [i] [ə:] | ai, i, yo (similar sound) |
| jj | [j] | y, j |
| Kk | [k] | to |
| Ll | [l] | l |
| mm | [m] | m |
| Nn | [n] | n |
| Oh | [əu][ɔ:][ɔ] | ey, oh (long), oh |
| pp | [p] | P |
| kue | ||
| Rr | [r] | a (long), p (similar) |
| Ss | [s] | with |
| Tt | [t] | t |
| Uu | [ə:][ʌ] | yu (long), yo (similar), and |
| vv | [v] | in |
| www | [w] | ue (there is no equivalent in Russian) |
| xx | ks | |
| Yy | [i] | ah, and |
| Zz | [z] | h |
Then you should move on to mastering the rules of reading. You need to start with the simplest, namely the first and second types of syllables. Having studied
The study of any language begins with the development of letters, sounds and pronunciation features. Without this, learning to read and write becomes impossible.
The modern English alphabet consists of 26 letters: 6 vowels and 20 consonants.
If you are an adult, then memorizing the alphabet will not be as difficult for you as it is for a child. If you are working with a child, start learning the alphabet from the sounds that each letter gives, and only then enter the sound designation - the letter!
Learn the vowels. There are only 6 of them, so this task will not be difficult.
|
Letter |
English transcription | Russian transcription | Sound
(English transcription) |
Sound (Russian transcription) |
| [hey] | [æ] | [e] | ||
| ee | [and:] (long) | , [e] | ||
| [ah] | , [i] | [ah], [and] | ||
| Oh | [əu] | [OU] | [o] | |
| [yu:] (long) | , [ʌ] | [yu], [a] | ||
| Yy | [wow] | , [i] |
In English transcription, the sign [:] - colon, denotes the longitude of the sound, i.e. you have to pronounce it long.
Consonants are easier to remember when broken down into logical groups:
Consonants similar in appearance and pronunciation to Russian letters:
|
Letter |
English transcription | Russian transcription | Sound
(English transcription) |
Sound (Russian transcription) |
| [si:] | [k], [s] | [k], [s] | ||
| Kk | [kay] | [k] | ||
| [uh] | [m] | |||
| [ty:] | [t] |
Consonants that look like Russian, but are pronounced or spelled differently:
|
Letter |
English transcription | Russian transcription | Sound
(English transcription) |
Sound (Russian transcription) |
| [bi:] | [b] | [b] | ||
| Dd | [di:] | [d] | ||
| [el] | [l] | [l] | ||
| Nn | [en] | [en] | [n] | |
| [pi:] | [p] | [P] | ||
| Ss | [es] | [s] | ||
| xx | [the ex] |
Consonants that are not in Russian:
|
Letter |
English transcription | Russian transcription | Sound
(English transcription) |
Sound (Russian transcription) |
| [ef] | [f] | [f] | ||
| gg | [ji] | , [g] | ||
| [h] | [h] | [X] | ||
| jj | [jay] | |||
| [cue] | [kv] | |||
| Rr | [ɑː] | [a:] | [r], [ɑ : ] | |
| [in and] | [v] | [in] | ||
| www | [‘dʌblju:] | [double] | [w] | |
| [zed] | [z] |
It is better to learn the English alphabet in blocks, writing and naming each letter as much as you need. So you simultaneously use three types of memory: auditory, visual and motor (motor). After memorizing the letters, you can perform exercises to consolidate the material covered and self-test.
Exercises
Write the letters on the piece of paper from memory, saying each letter aloud. If you don't remember the name or have difficulty "reproducing" the next letter, you can use the hint. Select the "difficult" letter for yourself, and continue working on the exercise. After writing the entire English alphabet, write out separately all the underlined letters in one row. Repeat them. Write a few more rows of these letters randomly, calling them out loud. If you are sure that the "difficult" letters no longer cause difficulties, do the exercises again.
Write the letters of the alphabet (26) on small squares. Lay the squares face down. Take each square in turn, calling the letter out loud. Set aside the letters you have named incorrectly or the letters you have forgotten. After working on all the squares, take all the letters set aside and do the same exercise with only these letters. Repeat the exercise several times, postponing only those letters that are not remembered.
Ask someone to point to a letter in the text, and you name it. Or ask to name any letter, and you will name its neighbors, etc.
The memorization work can be built as follows:
Learn the material and set aside.
Repeat in 15 minutes.
Repeat again in an hour.
Repeat the next day.
Repeat in a week.
In this case, the memorized material will be deposited in memory forever!
English alphabet games
If it is possible to attract 2-3 people, then you can diversify the study of the alphabet with games:
"Spell the word"
Any English text is taken. Players take turns saying the letters in order, starting with the first word in the text. The one who called incorrectly is out of the game. The last one left in the game wins.
"What is missing?"
The facilitator chooses from 26 cards with five to ten letters, depending on the age of the participants. Players memorize letters. After everyone has turned away, the leader removes one or two letters. Players must remember which letters are missing.
"Who quickly?"
Each player is dealt the same number of cards. The task of the players is to quickly arrange the cards in alphabetical order.
"Find a couple"
The participants in the game are given cards with capital letters. Each card has a lowercase letter written on the back. The task of each player is to remember and write down a lowercase letter in 3 minutes. The one with the most letters wins.
"Continue"
One of the players begins to speak the alphabet from the beginning, the leader stops at any letter. Players must continue as quickly as possible from where the previous player was left off.
"Remember Five"
Each player is given a letter face down. On command, the players turn over the card. Players need to write the next 5 letters of the alphabet as quickly as possible. The one who completed the task raises his hand.
Songs
Songs are a great way to memorize the letters of the alphabet. The melody for them can be found on the Internet.
Lyrics
ABCDEFG HIJKLMNOP QRST UVW QRST UVW XYZ
Oh well you see
Now I know the ABC!
There is another version of this song, the last two lines of which are as follows:
Now I know the ABC
Next time won't you sing with me!
Currently, English textbooks give two pronunciations of the letter Rr: [ɑː] and [ɑːr] In the second version, the second sound is an overtone, that is, it is not pronounced in its pure form, but muffled. Both options are correct.
In English transcription, you can find several ways to write the same sound. This is due to a gradual change in the spelling of certain sounds, more often in order to simplify, for example: [ɛ] - [e] Both sounds are pronounced [e] with an overtone [ё].
Further actions
After learning the English alphabet, it is advisable to learn the sounds that each letter can convey. In English, one letter can convey several sounds, depending on the type of syllable and combination with other letters (see tables).
Then you should move on to mastering the rules of reading (from simple to complex) and practice reading individual words and then texts. Feel free to read texts from textbooks elementary school, because they are designed in such a way as to illustrate the basic rules of reading on a specific vocabulary.
If you are just starting to learn English, start learning with the main topics, among which, of course, there is English alphabet[ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ ˈalfəbɛt] or the English alphabet. In express training, this topic is often omitted, they say, it will come by itself with time. However, if you do not know the entire list of letters, their pronunciation and spelling, nothing will come of your learning process. Therefore, let's look at what they are and how the letters of the English alphabet are used.
But first, let's see how the English alphabet was formed. It is rather difficult to say exactly when it appeared, but the very first found fragments of the English alphabet date back to the 5th century. Then, for its writing, Latin letters were used in combination with runes, and therefore the letters did not at all resemble those used in modern English. Subsequently, however, this alphabet changed, all the runes were replaced by Latin letters, the number of which by the 11th century was 23 characters, which were ordered for numerological purposes. After that, the alphabet did not change significantly, however, 3 more letters were added to it, which were also used in the creation of the modern alphabet.
English alphabet: composition
How many letters are used in modern English, it was perhaps not difficult to count. There are 26 letters in English. In different situations, they can sound different, as their pronunciation changes depending on the combinations. There are 44 sounds in English. However, each letter has its own standard pronunciation, which is used when learning the alphabet. English letters are not written as they are pronounced, and therefore, when studying them, it is necessary to use transcription in order to avoid further errors. It is also worth noting that each letter of the English alphabet has a serial number. The numerology of English, as in Russian, was created solely for convenience and, as such, is not of such importance.
| List English letters with numbering, transcription and pronunciation | ||||
| № | Letter | Name | Transcription | Pronunciation |
| 1. | A a | a | hey | |
| 2 | Bb | bee | bi | |
| 3 | c c | cee | si | |
| 4 | D d | dee | di | |
| 5 | e e | e | and | |
| 6 | F f | ef | ef | |
| 7 | G g | Gee | ji | |
| 8 | H h | aitch | h | |
| 9 | I i | i | ah | |
| 10 | Jj | Jay | jay | |
| 11 | Kk | kay | kay | |
| 12 | l l | el | ||
| 13 | M m | em | Em | |
| 14 | N n | en | [ɛn] | en |
| 15 | O o | o | [əʊ] | OU |
| 16 | Pp | pee | pi | |
| 17 | Q q | cue | cue | |
| 18 | R r | ar | [ɑː] | a |
| 19 | S s | ess | es | |
| 20 | T t | tee | ti | |
| 21 | U u | u | Yu | |
| 22 | Vv | vee | in and | |
| 23 | Ww | double-u | [‘dʌbljuː] | double |
| 24 | X x | ex | the ex | |
| 25 | Y y | wy | wye | |
| 26 | Zz | zed | zed | |
The letter Z is pronounced zee in American English.
Please note that the pronunciation written in Russian letters is approximate. Transfer accurate English sound using Russian letters will not work. It is listed here for ease of study. initial stage. However, the variant in transcription is more preferred. If you are not yet completely familiar with the sounds, try to listen and imitate the media.
English alphabet: frequency of use
All letters in the English alphabet have their own frequency of use. Thus, the figures for the year 2000 show that the vowel E is the most popular letter in the English language. The consonant T is the second most used letter. It is not so difficult to explain such results. Both of these letters occur in the definite article "the", which is the most used word in the English language. The most unpopular is the letter Z, which is known only for zebra (zebra), lightning (zip) and zigzag (zigzag).
Other English topics: English alphabet for children: there are a lot of options, but which one to choose?
Other letters are arranged as follows:
| Letters of the English language in order of frequency of their use | ||
| № | Letter | Frequency (~ %) |
| 1. | E | 12,7 |
| 2. | T | 9,1 |
| 3. | A | 8,2 |
| 4. | O | 7,5 |
| 5. | I | 7,0 |
| 6. | N | 6,8 |
| 7. | S | 6,3 |
| 8. | H | 6,1 |
| 9. | R | 6,0 |
| 10. | D | 4,3 |
| 11. | L | 4,0 |
| 12. | C | 2,8 |
| 13. | U | 2,8 |
| 14. | M | 2,4 |
| 15. | W | 2,4 |
| 16. | F | 2,2 |
| 17. | G | 2,0 |
| 18. | Y | 2,0 |
| 19. | P | 1,9 |
| 20. | B | 1,5 |
| 21. | V | 1,0 |
| 22. | K | 0,8 |
| 23. | J | 0,2 |
| 24. | X | 0,2 |
| 25. | Q | 0,1 |
| 26. | Z | 0,1 |
This numbered list determines the approximate frequency of occurrence of letters, which means that in any particular passage, the frequency of letters may vary depending on the words used in it.
English alphabet: vowels
As you may have noticed, there are only 5 in English. These are letters: A, E, I, O, U. Periodically, the letter Y is added to the list, which can convey both consonant and vowel sounds. By the way, with regard to sounds: English vowels can change their sound depending on two aspects:
- Locations, that is, from adjacent letters
- Striking or unstressed
Consider these changes using the example of the letter A:
Some sounds contain a colon. The fact is that English vowels are divided into short and long. Short ones are usually pronounced, while long ones last 2 or even 3 times longer. Knowing the pronunciation of a letter in a word according to this principle is necessary, otherwise you can distort your thought. Examples:
Regarding the features of vowels, one can also add that the letter E at the end is usually not pronounced. For example:
| prejudice [ˈprɛdʒʊdɪs] (prejudice) | prejudice |
| demonstrate [ˈdɛmənstreɪt] (demonstrate) | demonstrate |
| paradise [ˈparədʌɪs] (paradise) | paradise |
In addition, vowels can have diphthongs or a combination of two vowels, but in order to avoid too much information that has fallen down, we will consider this issue in a separate topic.
It can be added that vowels, as well as consonants, do not have diacritical marks. Such signs include all sorts of dashes, squiggles, wavy lines above and below letters, which are characteristic, for example, of French or Spanish. However, in very rare cases, such signs can be used with loanwords. The most popular among them are:
| café | Cafe |
| resume | summary |
English alphabet: consonants
The number of consonant letters in the alphabet is 21. Despite the fact that these letters are different from Russian, some of them have a similar pronunciation. These include letters: B, F, G, M, P, S, V, Z. Speaking of similarities with the Russian language, it can also be noted that if English words have a double consonant, they are pronounced with one sound:
In addition to simple letters, English has digraphs or signs formed using two English letters. . These include:
It is worth noting that the letter ch in borrowed from Greek words are pronounced as [k].
Like the sound [k] the letter ch is also read in the name Michael, which is very common abroad:
Exception not related to options above:
| [ʃ] | |
| champagne [ʃamˈpeɪn] (champagne) | champagne |
The combination th is pronounced like "s" and "z" in Russian, only for their pronunciation you need to correctly position the tongue. Bite, and then lower it, keeping the position between the teeth. Now try to pronounce both of these letters.
The digraphs kh and zh are used in English with foreign surnames. Foreign surnames can also often contain the digraph sh, which, however, is also used in ordinary English words.
English alphabet: how to learn
How many letters and how they are used, sorted out, but how to learn them? AT modern world this issue is quite easy to solve, because there are a lot of materials on learning English in both printed and electronic versions. However, the choice in favor of electronic material in the case of learning the alphabet will, perhaps, be more correct.
Firstly, the English alphabet is something that learns very quickly. After you master it, you will not have to return to this topic again and again, which means that the purchased alphabets will lie idle on the very top shelves.
Secondly, on the Internet you can find the greatest variety of programs, videos, songs that will help you learn the alphabet in the shortest possible time. Use only one method or combine several at once: sing songs, write down each letter on a piece of paper, memorize the sequence of letters in English and the words in which they are used.
That's all. As you can see, there is nothing wrong with English. The only thing that may be needed when studying it is a little patience, seasoned with motivation. Don't take language for granted, but instead enjoy it.
Greetings, my dear readers.
Today we continue to talk about how to learn how to read correctly, so the topic of today's article is the transcription of English letters.
We have already got acquainted with the concept and dealt with the pronunciation of sounds in English. Today we will figure out exactly how they are pronounced in various combinations.
I have a clear table for you. It contains the letters of the English alphabet with transcription, Russian analogue letters and my notes, so that you can immediately put the correct pronunciation. I also added examples of words with studied sounds and their translation.
What else can be found on the blog:
- with letters and transcription (you can study them online, download, print and work with them);
- for children I have a complete .
Let `s start?
Features of English transcription:
- it is always enclosed in square brackets. I can't say exactly where it came from, but I think it's just worth taking it for granted;
- to understand where the stress is, the transcription uses the sign [‘] before the stressed syllable;
- It is important to remember that transcription is about the sound, not the spelling of words. Sometimes the spelling can be 90% different from what we pronounce;
- to show that the sound is long - we use a colon.
In general, I wrote about English transcription - please!
Letters of the English alphabet and their transcription in Russian and English:
| English letter | Transcription | Russian analogue |
| aa | Hey | |
| bb | Bee | |
| CC | Xi | |
| Dd | Di | |
| ee | And | |
| FF | [ɛf] | ef |
| gg | Gee | |
| hh | h | |
| II | Ai | |
| jj | Jay | |
| Kk | Kay | |
| Ll | [ɛl] | Al |
| mm | [ɛm] | Em |
| Nn | [ɛn] | En |
| Oh | [əʊ] | OU |
| pp | Pi | |
| Q | ||
| Rr | [ɑː] or [ɑɹ] | A or Ar |
| Ss | [ɛs] | Es |
| Tt | Tee | |
| Uu | YU | |
| vv | In and | |
| www | [ˈdʌb(ə)l juː] | Double-u |
| xx | [ɛks] | The ex |
| Yy | Wye | |
| Zz | , | Zed, zee |
But you know what is the most interesting thing about English?
If different letters are combined, they are pronounced differently!
That's why I prepared for you
Examples of English letter combinations in Russian and English:
| Combination | Transcription | How to pronounce | Example |
| ee | /i:/ | And | bee - bee |
| ea | / ı:/ | And | tea - tea |
| oo | /u/ | At | cook - cook |
| th | / ð / / Ѳ / | Z, S (interdental) | thumb - finger |
| sh | / ʃ / | W | shout - shout |
| ch | /tʃ/ | H | chair - chair |
| ph | /f/ | F | phone - phone |
| ck | /k/ | To | snack - snack |
| ng | / Ƞ / | Ng | song |
| wh | /w/ | Ua | why - why |
| wr | /r/ | R | write - write |
| qu | /kw/ | Kua | queen - queen |
| igh | /aı/ | Ai | high - high |
| all | /Ɔ:l/ | Ol | tall - high |
| ai | /eı/ | Hey | Spain |
| ay | /eı/ | Hey | May |
| oi | /oı/ | Ouch | point |
| oy | /oı/ | Ouch | toy |
| ow | /oƱ/ | OU | grow - grow |
| ou | /aƱ/ | ay | out - outside |
| ew | /ju:/ | YU | knew - knew |
| aw | / Ɔ: / | Ltd | draw - draw |
| ee+r | / ıə / | ia | engineer - engineer |
| ou+r | /abə/ | Aue | our - our |
| oo+r | / Ɔ: / | Ltd | door - door |
| wo+r | / ɜ: / | Y/O | work - work |
| ai+r | /eə/ | Ea | chair - chair |
| oa+r | / Ɔ: / | Oo | roar - cry |
| old | /Ʊd/ | Oud | could - could |
| around | /aƱnd/ | Aund | round - round |
| eigh | /eı/ | Hey | eight - eight |
| -y | / ı / | And | tiny - tiny |
| au | / Ɔ: / | Oo | Paul |
| gh | /f/ | F | laugh - laugh |
| aught | /Ɔ:t/ | From | taught - taught |
I know this table looks huge now. Surely you think that remembering all this is unrealistic. I'll tell you this: at a certain point, when you have enough, you won't even pay attention to these combinations. Your brain will learn to quickly remember how these letters sound. Moreover, even when you come across a completely unfamiliar word, you can read it correctly. The only question is the amount of practice on your part.
How to memorize combinations of letters?
- Use cards. Visual perception is better developed in most people.
- Read. Pay attention to letter combinations when or just texts.
- Don't get hung up. It is not necessary to immediately memorize these combinations and only then go directly to English. Learn as you go!
- Buy paper or download a good one e-book in order to quickly learn to recognize combinations and pronounce them correctly. Even if you need it - an adult - do not hesitate to take books for children - it is there that everything is chewed in detail and not without interest.
That's all, my dears. I hope you found it useful and understandable. I give even more such materials in the blog mailing list - subscribe and receive a portion of usefulness regularly.